One of the reasons many domestic travelers visit the Huastec Region of Mexico is to enjoy the delicious ethnic dish called zacahuil.
Zacahuil translates as bocado grande, Spanish for big bite. The word derives from one of the many Maya dialects specifically the Huastec or Téenek.
When I traveled to Xilitla, one of my beloved towns in Mexico, I had the opportunity to eat this succulent dish for the first time. It is delicious to say the least; smoky in flavor and the meat in the dish provides enough protein needed to start a new day full of activities or just to start a regular workday.
The livelihood of many families in Xilitla depends upon this dish as it provides the means to generate income and support their families.
This video showcases the long process of making zacahuil, which is usually prepared by the women, just like most food preparations among villages in Mexico. Families have a special recipe, which is passed down from generation to generation and the women learn the trade of preparing zacahuil from their grandmothers, mothers, and older sisters.
The special sauce is the secret ingredient in most of these recipes. No one sauce is the same and every cook gives it its special touch, one that they will usually not share with anyone else.
The basic process of making zacahuil is showcased here, but the fire-roasted chile pepper sauce will usually have a mixture of spices depending on the taste preference.
There is healthy competition among businesses of zacahuil as many locals have already developed a taste preference to their favorite zacahuil and will loyally only buy from the same family business. As far as domestic and international tourists to the Huastec Region of Mexico they will never run out of a place that’s selling this delicious dish whether they are traveling to San Luis Potosi, Veracruz, Tamaulipas, or Hidalgo.
This is a must-try dish and one deserves a lot of attention!
Enjoy the video!
Aculturame 
Reblogged this on My Heart of Mexico.
Thank you for sharing this Fabiola! 🙂
Reblogged this on With colours and Canito in the kitchen and commented:
I have found this lovely blog and great posts about my beloved Mexico ❤ Have a look, my friends, if you have not seen yet!
Your Vero and little Canito
Dear Vero,
Thank you for re-blogging my post on Zacahuil, have you tried this dish? I highly recommend it! I see that you also enjoy Mexican food, I love your food creations and decorations, they remind me of Mexican dishes I see when I go back to Mexico. I see you are on Instagram so I’ll be following your food adventures!
Hello!! You are very welcome. It is beautiful post. I have not tried it yet, but whenever I am back to Mexico, I definitely will. I really do enjoy Mexican food as I have my husband´s family over there. Thank you very much for you amazing words! ❤
traveling to the Huasteca area in March! Looking forward to trying this giant tamale! Gracias. I enjoy your blog so much!
That’s great! I hope you have good time in La Huasteca, March is a good time to visit it won’t be as hot and not that many tourists as in April. Thank you for visiting my blog!
Not familiar with this particular Mexican dish until reading your fabulous post. Sounds so very delicious and looking forward to trying it next time I’m in that part if sunny Mexico
Thank you Eddie you will enjoy it!
well done.
Thank you!
Looks good although… I am not sure if I could eat it (I don’t like super spicy food). I do like Mexican food, though. Once I visited San Antonio, Texas, and I was taken to this restaurant housed in a former gas station, it was a family owned restaurant, definitely not a chain. Really good stuff.
Really? I hear San Antonio, Texas has good Mexican restaurants. I know zacahuil looks very spicy, but it’s the chile sauce that makes it look red. I personally think it’s mild not very spicy. Hope you get to try it to see for yourself!
I will, some day. I am planning to return to the US soon, and as soon as I do, I hope to visit Mexico. I did spend one day in Tijuana many years ago, when I lived in California, and did not like it at all. But then, I know Mexico is far more than that.
Definitely Mexico is more than that, I would recommend the cities in central Mexico such as in Guanajuato, Guadalajara, San Luis Potosi, and Zacatecas if you like history and architecture.